Running from Filch
by fantasyfreak23
Summary: Harry and Hermione were walking to lunch when suddenly Filch started chasing them. Why? Well, it seems that Harry knows something that Hermione doesn't (for once). Will they get away? Where will they hide? How about a broom closet? ;) H/Hr
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This is my first fanfic, so go easy on me. I hope you like it. If you catch any errors, just tell me and I will fix them as soon as I can.

This story was partly inspired by the song, Take Me On the Floor by The Veronicas (especially the second verse)

Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter, would I be writing on this?

(-)

"Come on, Hermione! We're going to be late for dinner!"

"I'm coming!" Hermione replied, making her way down the stairs. "Why are you so impatient anyway?"

"We skipped lunch to study, remember? I'm starving!" he stated, pulling her arm toward the portrait hole. "How come you aren't?"

"I am, I just do a better job at hiding it," she said, pulling her arm away from his vice-like grip. _Quidditch has really done him some good. Wait, did I really just think that? _She blushed. "Where's Ron?" she said quickly, trying to draw attention away from herself.

"He left about ten minutes ago. He couldn't wait for you any longer, and frankly, I was just about to leave as well."

She gasped and stopped in the middle of the hallway. "You wouldn't leave without _me, _now would you?" She turned and glared at him, putting her hands on her hips, trying to be stern. By the twinkle in his eye, however, she knew that the effect was lost on him.

"Of course not, m'lady." He bowed to her and held out his arm for her to take. "I would never let a pretty maiden such as yourself not be escorted to such as an important event such as dinner." He came up from the bow and looked down at her with a smirk on his face.

She took his arm and pulled him toward the Great Hall, trying to hide her blush, which had come back full force._ He called me pretty…. No, Hermione! He was doing an act! Stop being such a twit, and start being rational about this._

It was late October now in the great hills of Scotland. The month had brought a lot rain, along with the annual changing of the leaves. Every window that could be looked through at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry showed a picturistic scene worthy of a postcard. The leaves of the trees in the Forbidden Forest were lovely golds, reds, and browns, which almost hid the fact that it was home to many dangerous creatures. When it was not raining, students in their light cloaks could be seen playing in the leaves, rolling around and throwing them at each other in jest. They were often seen coming inside just before curfew with leaves in their hair and clothes, running through the halls to make it inside of their respective dorms, fearful that Filch would catch them. He had been more unforgivable than usual lately, but no one knew why. There were some rumors, of course, but the personal life of the lowly caretaker was not very interesting, and the students often went on to discuss other matters.

Not that this mattered to Hermione, for she was often seen in the library doing her homework a month ahead of time, as always. Harry was often with her, and Ron was sometimes seen as well, but this was only because Hermione wasn't being as lenient as in other years. She was constantly telling them that they needed to work extra hard because the O.W.L.'s were that year. This was the reason that the Golden Trio skipped lunch that day, but anyone could tell that Harry and Ron were not happy about it.

"… and the next thing I knew, I was almost pushed off of my broom! Angelina was so mad, but let it go seeing as it was an accident." Hermione was jerked back to reality by Harry, who was telling her about Quidditch practice earlier that day. She would usually pay attention to whatever Harry had to say, but lately her mind had been occupied by other thoughts, such as the way Harry's mouth moved as he spoke or how animated he became when talking about something that he loved. _Oh no, Harry's still talking! I need to pay attention…_

Harry and Hermione turned the corner and were walking toward the stairs.

"Well, anyway, after that Angelina had us-"

"Arrrrgggg!"

The two Griffindors swiftly turned to find Mr. Filch hobbling down the corridor with a sneer on his already hideous face.

"You two! Stop! Stop this instant!"

"Oh no… Run, Hermione, run!" Harry shouted, grabbing her hand and sprinting down the hall and away from the angry caretaker.

"Harry! Why are we running? We didn't do anything!"

"Keep running!"

"But-"

"Shut up! Just run!"

Hermione's mouth hung open in shock. Harry never yelled at her unless it was serious. Harry must have done something terrible to have him show that side of him.

"We need to find somewhere to hide!" Harry said to her. His eyes were darting from side to side, surveying the area.

"In there!"

Hermione pointed to their closest hiding place, which was a broom closet. They ran in there as fast as they could. Since Harry had longer legs, he got to the closet first. He ripped the door open and pushed Hermione inside. Once they were both in there, Harry closed the door as swiftly as he could without making noise. Then he and Hermione pressed their ears to the cold wooden door and listened.

Outside in the hall, they heard a gruff voice say "They have to be around here somewhere." Then they heard heavy footfalls retreating, then nothing more.

"I think that we should stay in here for a few minutes," whispered Harry.

"Yeah," answered Hermione. All they could hear was their heavy breathing, which slowed down after a couple of minutes. "So, why were we running?"

"Oh, um…" Harry trailed off. The brunette heard him shift beside her out of nervousness.

"Harry, what did you do?" she asked in a warning tone.

"Ok, well, don't get mad, but… This is so hard to explain…"

"Spit it out!" Hermione said sternly, rapidly losing patience.

"Don't yell at me, he'll hear us!"

"Don't you dare try to change the subject!" Hermione said in a slightly quieter voice. Although she was mad, she did admit in her head that he was right. "Now answer me. Or do you really want to get in an argument with me?"

Hermione was famous for winning arguments. Everyone in the school knew how good she was, especially Ron, seeing as they got in an argument every-other day.

"Oh, no, of course not." Harry tried to backtrack, attempting to save himself from the bushy-haired girl's wrath. "It's just… I don't want you to get mad at me." She could tell by the tone of his voice that he was using his puppy-dog face.

"Don't you think it's a little late for that? And don't use that face with me, you know it never works." She had softened her tone a little bit, regardless of what she said. To anyone who saw them, it would be obvious that any cute face Harry managed to dig up worked on Hermione. But everyone knew that Hermione only caved for Harry. Whenever Ron tried to soften her up with a pouty face, she either laughed at him or got angrier.

"Oh, come on, Hermione! Can't you just let it go?"

"Let it go!? We had to run from Mr. Filch, and almost got caught, might I add, because of something that you did!"

"It doesn't concern you-"

"Doesn't concern me? Are you serious? I-"

"No, I'm not Sirius. My name is Harry. I would think that you would know that, being friends for five years and all." The tone of his voice suggested the smirk that Hermione knew was plastered on his face. She didn't need to see him; she could read him like a book.

"I don't care for your tone, Harry. As I was saying, the situation _does _concern me, seeing as I almost got into trouble for it. Now, are you going to tell me, or do I have to start counting?"

"Hermione, I'm not three years old."

"One."

"You know that only works on Ron-"

"Two."

"Hermione, I have a good reason-"

"Thr-"

"Alright, fine! Just stop with the counting, you know I don't like it!"

Hermione smirked, knowing that her plan would work. "Alright, spill. What did you do to make Mr. Filch so mad?"

With the amount of words that were coming out of his mouth, it sounded like dam exploding. "It was just a measly little prank! You are blowing this way out of proportion. Ron made me do it, I swear!"

"I will ask you again; what did you do?" she asked, annunciating each word.

"It was just a silly prank. Harmless. It didn't do any damage to the school, Filch, or anyone else. So will you please let it go?"

"Aha! So you _did_ do something to Filch!" she said triumphantly.

Harry sighed, knowing that he would never get away from Hermione. When she had her mind set on something, there was nothing you could do to stop her. Plus, he couldn't leave the broom closet, seeing as Filch was still out there looking for them.

"Yes Hermione, the prank was on Filch."

"When did you do it?"

"Yesterday, before Quidditch practice. But Hermione, it wasn't just me! Ron made me do it, I swear! He's the one that set everything up!"

"Ron?"

"Yup," he stated confidently.

Hermione raised one of her eyebrows. "You mean to tell me, that Ron, who I have to force to use his brain every day, is the mastermind behind all of this?"

"Yeah…" he said, less sure of himself.

"I would think that given your history of trouble-making," Hermione said in her all-knowing voice, "and with your dad being a prankster back in his day, that you would be the one to plan it…"

"Alright fine! I did it! Are you happy now?"

"Not really. Look Harry, pranking people is not the best way to handle you emotions, or to have fun, or whatever made you prank him. Now, I sincerely hope-" Harry suddenly put one of his hands over her mouth and pulled her further back into the closet until their backs touched the back wall. When she started to protest, he pulled her closer and shushed her.

"I hear someone coming…"

Hermione stopped struggling and listened intently, forgetting that his hand was still over her mouth and that she was pulled flush against the raven-haired boy.

Sure enough, she could hear footsteps that were getting louder and louder, closer and closer. It was likely Mr. Filch again, searching for the perpetrators of whatever had made him so mad.

"Come, my sweet. They should be around here somewhere."

Hermione heard a meow in response, and then a hiss.

"Oh yes. They will pay, Mrs. Norris. They will pay."

At this point, the noises were right outside of the occupied closet. Harry and Hermione tried to back into the wall even more, hoping that it would swallow them up.

It seemed that they had waited for hours, when in reality it was only a few minutes. They waited until they couldn't pick up the heavy footsteps anymore, and then another minute, to make sure that the caretaker was truly gone. It was like they sensed at the same time that it was safe, as they both relaxed their stiff bodies at the same time.

Hermione blushed, quickly realized their position, and pushed herself away from Harry as quick as she could, removing his hand from her mouth in the process.

"Oh, that was close!" she breathed.

"Yeah."

They stood there for a few moments, awkwardly shifting their weight from foot to foot and avoiding each other's eyes. Hermione replayed those last few moments in her head. _He pulled me right up against him… his heart was beating so fast… almost as fast as mine…_

"Do you think it's safe to leave?" Harry blurted out.

"I think so," she said carefully. She reached her hand toward the doorknob, but before she could get there she collided with something else. She jerked her hand back, but not before feeling the warm skin of Harry's hand.

"I'm sorry," she said quickly, cradling her hand against her chest. She could still feel the tingles that she had gotten from touching his hand.

"No, it was my fault." He paused. "Do you want to open the door, or can I?"

"You can." She wanted to relish in the feeling of her hand on his for a few more moments.

Hermione was shook out of her daze when she heard the doorknob rattle, but no squeak of the hinges that signified the door opening.

"What's wrong?"

"I don't know."

She head the knob being played with some more, then a pound on the door, which Hermione presumed was out of frustration.

"It's no use," he said. "The door's locked from the outside. We can't get out."

"What? How is that possible?" she exclaimed. She couldn't be stuck in this tiny closet with him for who knows how long. She was bound to do something wrong, embarrassing, or something that would ruin their friendship. She may have a more advanced mind, but that doesn't deny the fact that she was a teenage girl, stuck in a close proximity to the guy that she had a crush on.

_This is going to be a long night…_

(-)

It was growing increasingly hot in the stuffy closet, with two healthy humans being in a confined space with no air flow. Both of the fifth-year students were leaning against opposite walls, with their legs spread out before them. Every once and a while one would shift their position, and their legs would brush the other's accidentally. Hermione would blush whenever this happened, and was thankful each time for the darkness that hid her face.

"Merlin, I'm so hungry!" Harry groaned.

Hermione sighed. This was the fifth time that he had said those exact words, and it was grating on her nerves.

"Well, if you hadn't pranked him in the first place, we would be eating by now, and I wouldn't be so hot!"

"How was I supposed to know that he would find out that I did it?"

"Oh, I don't know," she said sarcastically. "Maybe he used _common sense!" _

"Well, we all can't be as smart as you Hermione."

"I'm not _that _smart…"

"Yes you are, Hermione," he said with frustration. "You are the smartest person that I have ever met. You are at the top of our class, you study all the time, and you never stop looking for an answer until you find it. You are the most stubborn, pretty, bright, and loyal girls that I know. Now, will you please stop putting yourself down? You do it all the time, and it's getting very annoying."

"Harry, I just don't know- wait, did you just call me pretty?" She could feel heat rise up to her cheeks, the argument temporarily forgotten.

There was a pause. "Uh, no. No I didn't."

"Yes, you did. I heard you."

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said rapidly.

"C'mon Harry. I'm just going to keep asking you about this. You said it yourself, I'm a very stubborn person," she said with a slight smile on her face.

He groaned. "I hate it when you use my words against me," he mumbled under his breath.

"I would think that you would remember to watch what you say by now. So, you said that I was pretty?"

He took a deep breath. "Yes, I did say that you are pretty. Now can we just let it go? Please?"

"Oh, come on! I don't see why you're so anxious to change the subject. It's just us talking." She waited for a few moments, but didn't hear a thing from her counterpart. She really needed to know if he had meant what he said about her being pretty. Because she was sure that he would never feel the same toward her as she did for him, she wanted to hear what he said clearly, so that she could hold onto this memory. She felt that this was as good as it was ever going to get for her, so she wanted to make it count. "Explain? Please?"

There was another pause. Hermione waited for a few moments, but then decided to break the silence.

"Harry?"

"Hm? Oh, sorry. Uh… Oh Merlin, I don't know…"

"Yeah?" She prompted. Just then Harry looked up at her, and she could just barely see the glint of the light coming from the crack beneath the door reflected by his eyes. _He has amazing eyes,_ Hermione thought dreamily. _Wait a second, what am I thinking? _She asked herself. She shook her head a little to get rid of those thoughts and turned her attention back on Harry, who was just about to speak.

"Well it was just that…" Suddenly he leaned forward.

_Oh my God, he's going to kiss me! What do I do? WHAT DO I DO? _Hermione screamed in her head. All the while Harry was leaning closer to her.

_Should I take my chances at getting caught and leave? Should I slap him? Should I yell at him? Should I let him kiss me? _That last one made her heart beat faster and faster. _I think that I should just talk to him. Yea, talk to him. That sounds like a good plan. _Then she looked at his face. He looked so nervous. _And cute!_

Suddenly all thoughts to talk to him were gone. She just closed the distance between them and kissed him. The bliss that they both felt lasted for a few seconds, and then they broke apart. "Wow," they said in unison. Then they both smiled and they kissed again, this time more passionately. _I can't believe that this is happening!_

Suddenly they broke apart, both gasping for air while their foreheads were pressed together. After a couple of moments, Harry finally spoke.

"Hermione, you are the prettiest, brightest, and best person that I know. I've been waiting to ask you this for a long time. Will you go to Hogsmeade with me this weekend?"

"But don't we always go together?"

"Yeah, but you were never my date before."

Hermione gasped, and then swiftly leaned forward to kiss him again.

"Well, I guess that's the answer to my question."

She gave him one more peck on the lips.

"To answer your question with words, yes. I would love to go to Hogsmeade with you." This time Harry kissed Hermione, hard and desperate. Hermione moaned in response and put her arms around his neck, while Harry put his arms around her waist.

_I wish that he got into trouble more often._

(-)

A/N2: I feel that it was a little rushed at the end. How did you like it? Please tell me, as anything will help me improve my writing for the future.

Just a few notes, in case anyone was confused:

You might have been wondering, How is Harry on the Quidditch team when Umbridge banned him? Well, according to the HP Lexicon, he was banned after the first match, which is in November. As October comes before November, he would still be on the team.

Also, Angelina Johnson was the captain in Harry's 5th year. Wood had left after PoA, and Quidditch was put on hold for the Triwizard Tournament the next year, so Angelina only got to be captain for one year. And, just to put it out there, she had to put up with not up-to-par players, as Harry, Fred, and George were, as I said before, banned after the first match. Poor Angelina.

Please review!


	2. Little Note

Hey guys!

Since it's been a while since this story has been written, I had decided to rewrite it, seeing as I have become a much better writter in the past 3 years. I just wanted people to be aware that changes have been made to the original and have replaced it. I hope that you enjoy it - think of it as an early holiday present. :)

-Flora


End file.
